


Warriors: Unrest- Part 1

by Oakfrost



Series: Warriors: The Fall [1]
Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-06
Updated: 2016-05-06
Packaged: 2018-06-06 19:20:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,317
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6766633
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oakfrost/pseuds/Oakfrost
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Oakpaw is a young ThunderClan apprentice, as loyal and brave as a cat can be. But all is not well in the forest. Unrest in the clans caused by unknown cats threatens to start war. Can Oakpaw find the real culprit and stop war before it's too late? Or will the clans fall into chaos and destruction?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Warriors: Unrest- Part 1

Prologue  
Midnight. The cool Newleaf breeze ruffled the leaves in the trees as dew in a clearing sparkled in the moonlight. There was a rustle in a group of ferns, and they parted to reveal a tortoiseshell cat. He stepped out into the clearing and paused to scent the air. When he did, he sat down. He waited, and after a while there was another rustle in the underbrush, and another cat stepped out. This time it was a dark calico tabby. He had a look of urgency on his face and moved quickly. He greeted the other cat by saying,  
“Are you sure no one followed you here?”.  
“Yes, I’m sure.” said the tortoiseshell.  
“Good.” said the other cat, whose eyes darted around, as if he thought he was being watched.  
“So, can I get an update?” asked the tortoiseshell.  
“Of course,” said the tabby. “He is training, listening to his mentor quite well. He is very loyal, and the Warrior Code is everything to him.” The tortoiseshell grimaced.  
“Exactly what I feared.”  
“What’s wrong with that?” mewed the tabby. He shifted uncomfortably. “I thought you would be pleased to hear this.”  
“No,” said the tortoiseshell. “This could ruin everything. If he is too loyal to his clan, we might not be able to convince him to come.”  
“What do you want me to do about it?” the tabby asked. The tortoiseshell was silent in thought for a few minutes, and then spoke.  
“Try to spend more time with him.” he said. “Take him hunting, train with him. Whatever it takes to get him closer to you.” The tabby winced.  
“That’s not how it works.” he meowed.  
“He has a mentor. I can’t just take over like that.” The tortoiseshell’s expression darkened.  
“Are you saying that you can’t carry out a direct order?” he asked menacingly.  
“No,” said the tabby. “I’m saying there are limits to what I can do inside the clan.” The tortoiseshell snarled.  
“Well, do something!” he meowed. The tabby stepped forward defiantly.  
“You know, I'm starting to think I might be on the wrong side!” he snarled. The tortoiseshell sneered.  
“Trust me, when I'm done, you'll be happy with the side you've chosen.”  
“No!” meowed the tabby. “Do you know how much I'm risking doing this? I could be thrown out of the clan!” The tortoiseshell frowned.  
“So that is where your loyalties lie.” he said, and leapt at the tabby. But the tabby was ready. He rolled out of the way and swiped with his paws at the tortoiseshell’s face. it connected with a sharp thud. the tortoiseshell snarled, and darted into the undergrowth.  
The tabby relaxed, and sat down. He took a moment to process the gravity of the decision he had just made. Big mistake. The tortoiseshell leapt out of the bushes, and his claws got hold of the tabby’s back. The tabby, being an experienced fighter, rolled onto his back to dislodge the tortoiseshell. The move worked, and the tabby jumped to his paws. He turned around, but not fast enough to avoid the tortoiseshell’s sharp teeth digging into his scruff. The tortoiseshell shook hard, and the tabby could do nothing but thrash and claw blindly, `until his claws connected with something.  
The tortoiseshell immediately let go with a yowl of pain. The tabby turned to see the tortoiseshell with his paw covering his right eye. When he put his paw down, the tabby almost gagged with disgust and horror. He had nearly clawed the tortoiseshell’s eye out, leaving a large claw mark down the middle. Then the tortoiseshell turned, his remaining eye clouded with pain and hatred. He snarled, and pounced onto the tabby. The tabby tried to defend himself, but before he could, he found himself pinned to the ground. “Anyone who crosses me knows it will be the last thing they do.” The tortoiseshell snarled, and delivered a quick bite to the tabby’s neck. Blood pooled in the wound, and trickled down his chest. The tortoiseshell backed away, knowing he would no longer need to defend himself. The tabby’s body went into a series of spasms, and the sound of the bubbling blood mingled with the tabby’s choking rasps. Then the noise stopped, and the tabby was still. The tortoiseshell breathed a sigh of relief. Then he sat down and began to groom himself. He had just finished when he scented a patrol heading toward him. He stood to his paws, and left the clearing quickly. As he ran, he could hear yowls of shock behind him as the patrol discovered the clearing.

 

 

 

 

Chapter 1  
Oakpaw charged through the gorse tunnel into the camp at full speed, with Heronpaw in quick pursuit.  
“Can’t catch me!” Oakpaw shouted as he dropped two dead squirrels on the fresh-kill pile. Heronpaw raced after him, also dropping his catch on the pile. Oakpaw turned sharply as he got to the clearing, but Heronpaw was clever enough to cut him off as he turned. Heronpaw pounced on him, and they wrestled in play fight for a while, until a voice growled,  
“Stop that now! You’re apprentices, not kits!” They both stopped wrestling to see Heronpaw’s mentor, Ashfur, glaring at them. “Go give your catches to the elders. And I don’t want to see you acting like kits again. Understood?”  
“Understood.” mewed the two apprentices. Oakpaw, followed by Heronpaw, picked his catch up from the fresh-kill pile and headed towards the elders den. After they had delivered the fresh-kill to the elders, they went to the apprentices den to share tongues. Squirrelpaw and Sorrelpaw were already outside the den, sharing tongues. It had been four moons since Oakpaw and Heronpaw had been apprenticed, but it felt four hundred moons to Oakpaw. He was looking forward to becoming a warrior, and had often imagined what it would be like. He knew Heronpaw must share the same thoughts. He and Heronpaw were not brothers, but they acted as if they were, and were the best of friends. As the sun sank in the sky, they sat outside the den, talking about becoming warriors, and about who was better at hunting, and fighting. After the sun had disappeared, and the evening patrol had returned, Oakpaw meowed goodnight to Heronpaw. Then he walked to his comfy spot in the apprentices den, and lay down. He didn’t fall asleep right away, as it seemed most of the other cats did, but he thought. Not particularly about anything specific, but just about whatever popped into his head. This soothed his mind, and calmed his nerves, and he drifted off to sleep.  
Oakpaw found himself standing in a clearing, lit by moonlight and Silverpelt. He looked on the ground to find a mangled body of a cat, whose throat had been clawed out. He yowled in terror. Then there was a hurricane of sight and sound, and he was hovering in the sky, as if he were part of Silverpelt. He looked down on the Highstones, in a stone valley. There was a cat there. He was an ugly, tortoiseshell, with one eye half clawed out. Oakpaw wretched in terror and disgust. Then he fell from his spot in the clouds, and found himself falling. The Highstones disappeared below him, only to be replaced by Fourtrees. He landed in the center of the clearing, expecting to feel excruciating pain, but felt nothing. He looked around and saw the clearing stained with blood. There were bodies of cats, but other than that the clearing was empty. He looked around in horror, frozen in his place. Then there were whispers, starting quiet but getting louder and closer. Oakpaw wanted to run, but he could not move. The whispers started to become clearer. Then Oakpaw could make out the words, “Air and water collide, and the black traitor will bring the forest pain.” Oakpaw yowled in terror as darkness swallowed the clearing.  
He woke up with a start. He looked up to see Squirrelpaw nudging him with her paw.  
“Keep it down!” she meowed. “None of us can sleep with you yowling like that.”  
“Sorry.” mewed Oakpaw. He looked around and saw that it was dawn, and the camp was slowly starting up the daily routines. The dawn patrol was on its way to watch the border, and at the same time a hunting patrol was going to start the fresh-kill pile. Oakpaw’s mentor, Owlfeather, came walking towards him from the warrior’s den.  
“Good, you’re up.” he said. “I thought we could get an early start on training today.” Oakpaw stretched and yawned.  
“Okay.” he replied. They left the camp and walked to the training hollow. While walking through the forest, Oakpaw scented a mouse nearby. He looked hopefully at Owlfeather. Owlfeather, who had also scented the mouse, looked back.  
“The hunting patrol should bring back enough enough fresh-kill, and it’s a good chance to practice your hunting skills. Go ahead.” he meowed. Delighted, Oakpaw sank into his hunting crouch, stalking the mouse. He followed it more by scent than sight. Once he was close enough, he sprang. The mouse realized its danger too late, and Oakpaw finished it off with a quick bite. He silently thanked Starclan for the mouse’s life. He picked it up, and brought it to Owlfeather, who was waiting with a look of pride on his face. They shared it, and continued to the hollow.  
When they got there, Owlfeather tested him on different fighting tactics and defensive moves. Then when he was done reviewing, Owlfeather said  
“Now, attack me.” This was not the first time they had sparred, and Oakpaw always enjoyed these sessions. They were challenging, and Owlfeather never went easy on him. Oakpaw crouched, and circled Owlfeather. Owlfeather went into a defensive stance, always keeping Oakpaw in his sight. Then, quick as lightning, Owlfeather struck. He rolled under Oakpaw and struck his underbelly with his paw. The blow knocked the wind out of Oakpaw, and set him off balance. Oakpaw quickly recovered his senses and dodged in time to avoid an upright lock attempted by Owlfeather. He then jumped onto Owlfeather’s back and grabbed him by the scruff of his neck. He then slid off sideways just as Owlfeather was attempting to roll him off in the other direction. The resulting strain on Owlfeather’s legs caused his knees to buckle, and he fell to the ground. Oakpaw tried an upright lock, the same move Owlfeather had tried on him. He hit his mark before Owlfeather could scramble out of the way. But Owlfeather was not a warrior who could be beaten easily, especially not by an apprentice. He raked Oakpaw’s belly with partially sheathed claws, forcing Oakpaw off. Then he hurled himself at Oakpaw. Oakpaw tried to avoid the surprising attack, but he only managed to get his front paws and head out of the way. Owlfeather’s body slammed into his back legs, causing them to buckle, and for him to sprawl out of control. Then Owlfeather pinned him to the ground, and gave him a final, friendly cuff on the ear.  
“I win.” he meowed breathlessly. He sat up, and Oakpaw saw his eyes gleaming with pride. “That was an excellent training session, though. You should be proud of your performance today.” Oakpaw beamed at his mentor’s praise. They set off back to the camp. By this time, the sun was high in the sky, and Oakpaw took a moment to enjoy the cool Newleaf day. He breathed in the scents of the forest, and listened to the birds calling. When they arrived at camp, Oakpaw was tired and hungry. He grabbed a vole from the fresh-kill pile, and walked towards the elder’s den. When he got there, he saw Speckletail and Frostfur in deep discussion, and Dappletail was lying in the sun. When Frostfur saw him, she smiled.  
“Hello, Oakpaw,” she meowed. “You can give that vole to Dappletail, he’s been complaining all morning.” Oakpaw walked over to Dappletail, and dropped the vole in front of him. Dappletail looked up at him. He didn’t say anything, but flicked his tail in appreciation. Oakpaw was getting worried about Dappletail. He was getting less and less active, and it was no secret that his time was running out. Oakpaw left and walked back towards the clearing, taking a piece of fresh-kill as he passed the pile. He settled down in front of the apprentice’s den next to Heronpaw.  
“How was training?” asked Heronpaw.  
“It was great. I sparred with Owlfeather, and I almost beat him this time.”  
“That’s what you say every time!” teased Heronpaw.  
“This time I almost did though!” insisted Oakpaw.  
“Whatever you fuzzbrain.” said Heronpaw good-naturedly. Then Berrypaw came out of the den and walked to the fresh-kill pile. Oakpaw noticed that Heronpaw’s eyes were locked on her as she walked, and Oakpaw let out a purr of amusement. Heronpaw turned to him and asked,  
“What?”  
“Nothing.” Oakpaw replied. Then Berrypaw turned and walked toward them. Heronpaw quickly groomed his chest fur and sat up straighter. Oakpaw had to struggle to suppress a laugh as Berrypaw sat down next to them. Oakpaw couldn’t blame Heronpaw for having feelings for Berrypaw. She was a beautiful golden tabby with shining blue eyes. Heronpaw cleared his throat and meowed,  
“Hi, Berrypaw.” Berrypaw turned and gave him a friendly smile.  
“Hi, Heronpaw,” she said. “How was the border patrol. Did you see anything?”  
“As a matter of fact, we did see something a bit strange on RiverClan territory.” replied Heronpaw. “There seemed to be more patrols out than usual, and they were taking their job very seriously. Something must have happened.” Berrypaw’s eyes widened.  
“Well, we’ll find out tonight at the Gathering.” she mewed. The Gathering! Oakpaw had almost forgotten that tonight would be a full moon.  
“Well, I hope I'm chosen to go, because I want to find out what it is.” said Squirrelpaw from behind them. She had been eavesdropping, which was considered rude, but Squirrelpaw was not the most polite cat. She was arrogant, but some of that was contributed to by her being the daughter of Firestar, the leader of Thunderclan. The apprentices shrugged off her rudeness, and continued to chat about the Gathering. Later that day, as the sun started to sink behind the trees, Owlfeather approached Oakpaw.  
“You are going to the Gathering tonight.” he said. Oakpaw purred with delight.  
“Did you hear what happened at the dawn patrol?” he asked Owlfeather.  
“About RiverClan’s extra patrols?” he asked. Oakpaw nodded. “Yes, I heard about that.” Owlfeather meowed. Oakpaw turned and walked back to the apprentice’s den. He saw Heronpaw sitting outside sharing tongues with Shrewpaw.  
“Are you going to the Gathering?” asked Oakpaw.  
“No.” mewed Heronpaw disappointedly.  
“Well I'm going.” said Squirrelpaw as she strutted out of the den. Berrypaw was right behind her.  
“I'm going too!” she said excitedly. It was clear she was very eager to find out about what had happened in RiverClan. The apprentices heard Firestar’s call to summon the cats to go to the Gathering. Oakpaw bounded to the group of cats going after saying goodbye to Heronpaw and promising to tell him everything that happened. The cats left the camp and started toward Fourtrees.  
When they arrived at the slope before Fourtrees, ShadowClan and WindClan cats were already down in the clearing. Oakpaw wasn’t surprised. If something really had happened to RiverClan, it was no wonder that they would take a little longer to get to the Gathering. After Firestar gave the signal, Thunderclan ran down the slope and joined the other two clans in the clearing. Oakpaw scanned the crowd for Splashpaw. Splashpaw was a WindClan apprentice who Oakpaw had befriended at his first Gathering. He found the grey cat sitting alone at the edge of the clearing. His face brightened when he spotted Oakpaw walking towards him. Oakpaw flicked his tail in greeting, and sat down next to him. They talked for a bit, and Oakpaw asked him if he had seen anything unusual with RiverClan. Splashpaw frowned.  
“Funny you should mention that. Our patrols have noticed RiverClan cats snarling and hissing at us from across the border. It’s as if we did something to anger them.” Just then, RiverClan arrived, and came down into the clearing. Leopardstar went directly up to the Great Rock and the other leaders quickly joined him. The yowl sounded to signal the start of the meeting. Oakpaw and Splashpaw turned to look at the leaders on top of the Great Rock. Firestar went first, sharing the usual news. Nothing unusual. Then ShadowClan went, also casual news.  
“We have a new warrior,” said Blackstar. “Dawnflight will be proud to serve her clan.” The cats parted to reveal the warrior Blackstar had gestured to. A pale yellow tabby was standing in the clearing, head held high. Dawnflight showed no signs of nervousness. She looked at the many pairs of eyes with a look of proud defiance, as if challenging the crowd to find a sign of weakness in her posture. Oakpaw guessed she would make a fine warrior. Then he heard a snarl from the Great Rock. Apparently, Tallstar had been about to address the the crowd when Leopardstar cut him off with a snarl.  
“I will go next.” He hissed menacingly, and Tallstar gave him a confused look. Then Leopardstar turned to the crowd. “I speak to you tonight to let you know there is a murderer among us.” The crowd erupted in hushed meows of uneasiness. Leopardstar continued. “And the murderer is from WindClan!” he roared, turning his glare on Tallstar. Tallstar stuttered, clearly shocked, but Leopardstar did not give him the chance to respond. “The body of one of our warriors, Troutwhisker, was found three nights ago. He was covered in WindClan scent. His scent was tracked by our finest warriors, and the trail went right across the border between us and WindClan.” Tallstar was no longer reeling in shock. He had an expression of rage on his face. He opened his mouth to speak, but Leopardstar cut him off. “And that’s not all!” he growled. “This sorry excuse for a cat had the nerve to place a marker in RiverClan on his way back from the crime!” By this time there were yowls of outrage from all over the clearing. WindClan cats and RiverClan cats turned on one another, ready to attack.  
“We did no such thing!” yelled a dark tabby WindClan warrior.  
“Preposterous!” came another yowl from a tortoiseshell WindClan cat.  
“Enough!” came a voice from the Great Rock. Oakpaw turned and saw Firestar step between Tallstar and Leopardstar, who were crouched and ready to spring at one another. He addressed the crowd in a loud, firm voice. “We will not break the sacred truce tonight. If war is unavoidable, it can wait until after the truce is over.” The cats in the hollow paused, processing his words. They settled down a bit, but hissed and spat at one another. Tallstar cleared his throat.  
“I’d like to speak now,” he said. “I trust each and every one of my warriors, and I can say with full confidence that none of them would murder a cat from any clan.” There were hisses of suspicion from some RiverClan cats, but no one challenged Tallstar.  
“Very well.” said Leopardstar. “But RiverClan is not finished with this matter.” he stalked off of the Great Rock. “RiverClan!” he called to his clanmates. The Gathering was almost over. Tallstar called WindClan to leave, and so did Firestar and Blackstar. As they headed back to camp, Oakpaw thought about what had happened, and thought back to his strange dream. Air and water collide. That must mean RiverClan and WindClan. And the dead cat he saw in his dream. That must have been Troutwhisker. But would a WindClan cat really have done that? Oakpaw thought about it. If a WindClan cat had done that, they were a traitor. The cat who killed Troutwhisker clearly wanted RiverClan to trace him. Why else would he leave a scent marker in RiverClan territory? Or maybe it wasn't a WindClan cat at all. Maybe it was a rogue cat who had somehow made himself smell like WindClan. Whoever it was though, Oakpaw hoped nothing like that would ever happen again. When they arrived at camp, all of the cats rushed to their dens to tell their denmates what had happened. Oakpaw rushed to the apprentices den where Heronpaw was sitting outside. Oakpaw sat down next to him and told him everything. Heronpaw’s eyes widened when Oakpaw told him about the murder in RiverClan. “Who would do such a thing?” he asked in shock. “I don’t know, but they are definitely a traitor.” replied Oakpaw. He explained his thinking about the murderer to Heronpaw. Heronpaw thought about it. “Troutwhisker might have been a traitor to, though.” he said thoughtfully. “What?” exclaimed Oakpaw. “How?” “Well, he did go out alone at night, not on a patrol. He might have been meeting this cat.” he explained. “Well, then why would the other cat kill him?” asked Oakpaw. “Maybe they had a disagreement about something.” replied Heronpaw. “Maybe,” meowed Oakpaw. “but I doubt it. I think they knew they were enemies.” Heronpaw didn’t look convinced, but he did not say anything more. “Anything else happen at the Gathering?” he asked. “Not much,” Oakpaw meowed. “ShadowClan has a new warrior, Dawnflight. Wouldn’t want to get on her bad side.” Heronpaw nodded. Just then, Graystripe walked over to them with Owlfeather and Ashfur. “Would you like to go on the evening patrol?” asked Owlfeather. Oakpaw and Heronpaw both sprang to their feet. “I thought so.” meowed Ashfur with a mrow of laughter. “Let’s go then.” urged Owlfeather. They set off through the gorse tunnel, towards the RiverClan border. As they neared it, Oakpaw smelled a strong scent of RiverClan cats, more than there should have been. Oakpaw noticed Graystripe speed up, and he and the others followed at equal speed. They followed the trail through the woods, and with a jolt of dread, Oakpaw realized they were headed towards Sunningrocks. Knowing what they were probably going to find, Oakpaw exchanged nervous glances with Heronpaw. As they neared the river, they slowed to a slow, crouching skulk. When they reached their destination, they peered out from the ferns. They were downwind from Sunningrocks, so they were not detected. Sunningrocks was crawling with RiverClan warriors. With them was Leopardstar, who was speaking with one of his warriors. “Isn’t it dangerous that we are upwind from the ThunderClan camp?” the warrior asked. “Nonsense,” meowed Leopardstar. “Let them know the rightful owners of Sunningrocks have returned.” The warrior shuffled nervously, but walked away. “Oakpaw,” Owlfeather growled. “Go warn Firestar that RiverClan is trying to take back Sunningrocks. And do it fast.” He added. Oakpaw turned and sprinted in the direction of the camp. His mind was clouded with bewilderment as he ran. Why would RiverClan risk making enemies of ThunderClan in the midst of a quarrel with WindClan? He shook the question off and focused as running as fast as he could to the camp. He burst through the gorse tunnel. Most cats were heading towards their dens. He rocketed into Firestar’s den. “Firestar!” he yowled. “RiverClan are at Sunningrocks!” Firestar was grooming his chest fur, and stopped mid lick when he heard Oakpaw. He sat up, and ran out to and onto the Highrock. “Cats of ThunderClan!” he yowled. Cats staggered out of their dens, confused. “RiverClan is attempting to take back Sunningrocks!” This woke up the cats in the clearing fully. Firestar leapt down. “Warriors!” he meowed as he charged through the gorse tunnel. All of the warriors and a few apprentices, including Oakpaw, followed quickly. As they charged toward Sunningrocks, Oakpaw heard a snarl and the sound of cats fighting. He thought of Owlfeather and Graystripe, as well as Heronpaw and Ashfur. They must have been discovered! ThunderClan charged into the clearing and saw Ashfur and Graystripe cornered by about five WindClan warriors. Owlfeather was lying on the ground a few tail lengths away. Oakpaw lunged at a RiverClan warrior and dug his teeth into the warrior’s scruff. He tried to shake him to the ground, but the warrior flung him off and pounced. Oakpaw felt claws dig into his stomach. He yowled and slashed the warrior in the face. The warrior released his grip and ran for the river. Oakpaw sat up. He had beaten a real warrior, in a real battle! Then he felt something heavy slam into him. He could not see anything but the ground, and he felt claws rake his back. He struggled to get up, but the warrior on top of him was too heavy. Then the weight was heaved off, and Oakpaw turned to see Owlfeather pounce onto the RiverClan warrior. “Leave, fish-eating scum!” he roared before slashing the warrior on the snout. “And never return!” he added with a swipe at the legs of the warrior. The warrior scrambled to his feet and dashed to the river. Owlfeather turned to Oakpaw. “Are you alright?” he asked, before collapsing in a heap. Oakpaw yelped. “Owlfeather!” he exclaimed. Then he looked around, searching for Cinderpelt. He spotted her hidden behind a bush, treating another cat. Oakpaw dragged Owlfeather over to her. When Cinderpelt spotted him, her eyes widened. “I'm sorry, but Owlfeather needs immediate attention.” she said to Brackenfur, the cat she had been treating. Brackenfur and Oakpaw leapt back into the fray, leaving Cinderpelt to treat Owlfeather. Most of the RiverClan warriors had been driven off, though Leopardstar still remained. Leopardstar! Oakpaw’s blood surged in anger. Leopardstar had launched this attack. He was the reason Owlfeather was injured! Without stopping to think twice about attacking a clan leader, Oakpaw ran over to Leopardstar, and barreled into him at full speed. Leopardstar got up, and hissed. Oakpaw lunged at him, slashing at his face. Leopardstar avoided his claws, and tackled Oakpaw. “You’re a brave little apprentice, aren’t you?” he sneered. Oakpaw raked his claws on Leopardstar’s belly. Leopardstar yowled in pain, and then clawed Oakpaw’s back. Oakpaw ignored the pain and blood and lunged at Leopardstar. Leopardstar easily swatted him down, and executed a perfect upright lock that knocked Oakpaw almost unconscious. Oakpaw was dizzy, but could still feel teeth sink into his flank, and stay there. Oakpaw would have yowled in pain, but he didn’t have the strength. Then Firestar was there, tackling Leopardstar and clawing him. “How low of you, Leopardstar!” he growled. “Fighting an apprentice! What’s next? Are you going to fight our kits?” Leopardstar ignored the harsh words, and backed away from Firestar. “RiverClan, retreat!” he meowed. He glared at Oakpaw once more before turning and fleeing into the river. Oakpaw looked around at the cats in the clearing. They looked tired, but not defeated. As they gathered together to head back to the camp, Oakpaw tried to get up. He felt a searing pain in his leg, and when he looked at it, he could see a deep gash. He sucked up the pain and joined the rest of the group in going back. He spotted Leafpaw helping Cinderpelt carry Owlfeather. He went over to them. “I can take over for you, Cinderpelt.” he said. “Of course, thanks.” said Cinderpelt. When they got to the camp, Leafpaw and Oakpaw carried Owlfeather to the medicine cat’s den. “So how was he injured?” Asked Cinderpelt. “I don't know,” meowed Oakpaw “I didn't see.” Cinderpelt looked thoughtful. “I will be able to save him, but the question of whether or not he can be a warrior again remains unknown.” Panic jolted through Oakpaw. If Owlfeather couldn't be a warrior, who would train him? Images of Heronpaw and Berrypaw becoming warriors, while he sat alone in the crowd flashed through his mind. He forced down the panic and walked out of the den to find Firestar. He walked over to Firestar’s den to find him sharing tongues with Sandstorm. Firestar looked up when he saw Oakpaw enter. “How is Owlfeather?” He asked. “Doing good.” Replied Oakpaw. “That’s what I came to ask you about.” Said Oakpaw. “Who will oversee my training?” Firestar looked thoughtful. “Sunfoot.” He decided. Sunfoot. Wow! Sunfoot was a wise and fierce warrior, well-respected within the clan. He was (in Oakpaw’s opinion) the best warrior in ThunderClan since Firestar! It was an honor to have him as a mentor. Firestar got up from his moss bed. “I suppose I should go tell Sunfoot before I announce it formally,” he said. Oakpaw bounced out of the den and took a seat at the foot of the Highrock. A few moments later, Firestar came out of the warrior’s den with Sunfoot trailing close behind. Firestar leapt up to the Highrock. “Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here under the Highrock for a clan meeting!” he yowled. Slowly, cats trickled into the clearing and took their places in the crowd. Most cats knew what was happening, but a few of the queens and elders looked a bit confused. As most of you know already,” Firestar began. “Owlfeather was injured in the battle with RiverClan. He fought bravely to drive those fish-faces back to their side, and he will hopefully fight in many more battles to come. However, he did have an apprentice, Oakpaw, and we cannot afford to not train healthy apprentices. Sunfoot trained Owlfeather himself, so he will be a fine mentor to Oakpaw whilst necessary. Sunfoot, I know you will pass on your wisdom and loyalty to young Oakpaw.” Oakpaw trotted over to Sunfoot, and they touched noses. There were cheers from the clan. Firestar dismissed the clan cats, and the meeting was over. It was well into the evening by this time, so there was no time for training or hunting. Sunfoot turned to Oakpaw. “We will start training at dawn tomorrow,” he said. “Okay,” Oakpaw replied. Oakpaw returned to the apprentice’s den just as Heronpaw was returning from the evening patrol. He bounded over to where Oakpaw was sitting in front of the den with two pieces of fresh-kill dangling from his mouth. “How was the patrol?” asked Oakpaw. “It was amazing!” meowed Heronpaw. “We saw a fox, and chased it onto WindClan territory!” “Really?” Oakpaw asked. “Yes!” Heronpaw bounced excitedly. They chatted for a while, exchanging news from the day, until a grumpy elder scolded them to their dens.  
Oakpaw woke up the next day refreshed and ready to train. There was still a few hours before dawn, so he waited outside his den for the sun to rise. About an hour before dawn, Sunfoot and a few other warriors entered the clearing from the warrior’s den. Sunfoot spotted Oakpaw and trotted over to where he was sitting. “Good, you’re up early,” he said. One of the other warriors called to him, and he sighed. “Tell you what,” he meowed. “Let's go along with the dawn patrol. We can train later in the day.” Oakpaw almost yowled in excitement. He bounced alongside Sunfoot as they exited the camp along with three other warriors. Oakpaw felt so full of energy that often he got ahead of the group, bounding through the forest until Sunfoot called him back. One of these occurrences was taking place while they were on the border with RiverClan, when he scented something unusual. He ran back to the patrol. “Sunfoot!” he meowed. Sunfoot turned to him. “What is it, Oakpaw?” Sunfoot asked. “I smell WindClan across the river,” he reported. Sunfoot stiffened. “In RiverClan territory?” he asked. Oakpaw nodded. “Let’s see what's going on,” said Brackenfoot. They ran to the stepping stones. “Should we cross?” asked Oakpaw. “Certainly not,” remarked Sunfoot. “If WindClan are attacking RiverClan, they will think we are working with them. We just need to get a good look at what's going on over there.” “Then let's go to Sunningrocks,” suggested Oakpaw. The warriors agreed that that would be the best course of action. When they arrived at Sunningrocks, they looked to the other side of the river. “Great StarClan...” Brambleclaw stuttered. Across the river, a bloodbath was taking place. RiverClan and WindClan clashed in a torrent of flashing claws and fur. “Oakpaw, report this to Firestar immediately,” ordered Sunfoot. Oakpaw nodded and dashed off through the woods. When he burst into the camp through the tunnel, the camp was quiet. The only activity was the elders chatting by their den, and the whining of kits in the nursery. Oakpaw raced to Firestar’s den only to find it empty. He raced to the warrior’s den to find Brightheart and Cloudtail sharing tongues inside. “Where is Firestar?” Oakpaw gasped. “At the training hollow,” Cloudtail meowed. “What happened?” “WindClan is attacking RiverClan,” Oakpaw breathed. “We’ll go with you,” said Brightheart. Oakpaw raced to the training hollow with Brightheart and Cloudtail right on his heels. “Firestar!” Oakpaw shouted. Firestar turned from the apprentice he was observing. “WindClan is attacking RiverClan,” said Oakpaw. Firestar growled. “Those idiots! Can't they see that someone is turning them against each other?” Oakpaw left the training hollow. A few days later, Oakpaw headed for the medicine cat’s den. He wanted to see how Owlfeather was doing. When he entered the den, Cinderpelt was coaxing water into a barely conscious Owlfeather. “No,” he mumbled. “Treat the others first...” he trailed off into incomprehensible mumbles. “The battle is long over, Owlfeather,” Cinderpelt said soothingly. “It was four days ago.” Cinderpelt looked up and saw Oakpaw standing at the entrance. “How is he?” asked Oakpaw. “Alive and awake,” responded Cinderpelt. “And that's the best we could’ve hoped for at this point.” Oakpaw was relieved at this news. “So he’ll be a warrior again?” he inquired hopefully. “That remains unseen.” CInderpelt meowed. Oakpaw’s stomach churned. He desperately hoped that Owlfeather would return to his warrior duties. Sunfoot was a good mentor, but he didn't provide the friendly atmosphere that Owlfeather did during training. When he walked out of the medicine cat’s den and into the clearing, he saw Sunfoot waiting for him. “Owlfeather is a strong warrior,” he said. “He will recover, I'm sure of it.” Oakpaw nodded, assured by Sunfoot’s confidence. “Today we will practice battle training,” Sunfoot announced. Finally, Oakpaw thought. For the first days of training, all they had done was hunting, and Oakpaw was grateful for the change in training. As they headed to the training hollow, they met Heronpaw and his mentor, Ashfur, along with Berrypaw and her mentor, Fawnstripe. As they arrived at the hollow, the apprentices began warming up. They stretched, reviewed simple moves with their mentors, and hydrated via the nearby stream. When they were ready, Oakpaw faced his mentor. “Okay,” Sunfoot began. “Attack me.” Oakpaw was confused for a moment. Only Owlfeather did that! Then he realized, since Sunfoot had trained Owlfeather, he must have picked up this practice from him. He crouched into a battle stance, and began to slowly circle Sunfoot. He looked for an opening, but found none. Then he saw that Sunfoot was putting most of his weight on his haunches. If he hit him hard and fast enough, he could knock him over. He lunged, and at the same time Sunfoot turned and kicked him in the nose. He stood there, shocked, and Sunfoot took this opportunity to pin him to the ground. “Never assume too much,” he said slyly. “I set a trap for you. You thought I was carelessly unbalanced. I waited for you to notice, and countered the move I knew you would do effectively.” Oakpaw thought about this method. It made sense. “Alright, let's try again,” ordered Sunfoot. This time, Oakpaw was ready for this tactic. He saw that Sunfoot was heavily relying on one of his paws to hold him in his crouch. But then Sunfoot lunged. Oakpaw reared up in preparation for the attack, but it was a fake move. Sunfoot pulled himself back, and swiped Oakpaw’s feet from underneath him. As he lay on the ground, Sunfoot meowed, “One other thing. Never use the same tactic twice in a row.” After training for a while longer, Oakpaw and the other apprentices went back to the camp, exhausted and hungry. After picking out a plump vole from the fresh-kill pile, Oakpaw sat down in front of the apprentice’s den with Berrypaw and Heronpaw. “How was training?” asked Heronpaw. “Tiring,” puffed Oakpaw. “I figured out where Owlfeather got a lot of his training methods.” “Well obviously he got his training methods from Sunfoot,” scoffed Heronpaw. “Where else would he get them?” Oakpaw shrugged. “I don't know,” he mewed. “Maybe he made them up?” “Well, it’s much more likely for a mentor to pass down training from previous mentors,” meowed Berrypaw as she sat down beside Heronpaw. “That's why we use fighting techniques that have been around for a long time.” “Hi, Berrypaw,” mewed Heronpaw. Oakpaw suppressed a mroww of amusement as he noticed Heronpaw straighten up and lick his chest fur. “My training session was great,” informed Berrypaw. “Fawnstripe taught me a new move.” Berrypaw demonstrated the technique she had learned of faking an attack to lure the opponent into a vulnerable position. Heronpaw and Oakpaw watched with interest, and then tried the move themselves. “I hear Sorrelpaw passed her final assessments this afternoon,” Heronpaw said. “It's about time, too,” replied Oakpaw. “She should have been a warrior long ago. Too bad that leg injury slowed down her training.” The three apprentices talked a while longer, then headed to the apprentice’s den for the night. “Wake up, fuzzbrain!” Oakpaw stirred on his moss bed, then slowly got up to the sound of Squirrelpaw’s bossy tone. “It's almost sunhigh,” Squirrelpaw growled. “Get your lazy bones up!” Oakpaw looked outside the den. “Settle down, Squirrelpaw, it's barely past dawn,” he said. Oakpaw met Sunfoot outside the den. “Training will be postponed until after Sorrelpaw’s warrior ceremony,” he informed. Oakpaw nodded. “In the meantime,” Sunfoot continued, “you may pass the time however you like. Within reason,” he added with a smile. With that, Oakpaw dashed off to find Heronpaw and Berrypaw. He found them in the center of the clearing. Apparently, they had gotten the same news from their mentors, so they decided to go hunting together. They decided to hunt near the border with ShadowClan. As Oakpaw was stalking a mouse, he heard rustling in the bushes. The mouse scampered off, and Oakpaw turned to the bushes to see what had caused him to lose a good mouse. Then he saw the orange snout and snarling teeth protruding from the bush. A fox! ”Heronpaw!” he shouted. “Berrypaw! Come, quick!” The fox lunged. Oakpaw, having easily predicted the attack, sidestepped the attack, and jumped on the fox’s back. The fox tried to squirm out from under Oakpaw, but Oakpaw dug his claws in firmly. Then the fox rolled onto it's back, crushing Oakpaw under it's weight. Oakpaw, stunned, was not able to defend himself from the flurry of claws and teeth that followed. He felt the sharp edges of the fox’s teeth cut into his flesh. He yowled and thrashed, but the fox was to heavy for him to escape. Then something crashed into the fox, and the enormous weight was lifted from Oakpaw. He managed to sit up and see Berrypaw battling the fox, who was weakened from the little damage Oakpaw was able to deal to it's back. She snarled, and swiped the fox’s paws out from underneath it. Before the fox could get back up, Berrypaw reared up, and brought her weight down on the fox. The fox managed to scramble to it's feet and limp-run towards ShadowClan territory. It climbed onto the Thunderpath, but as it was halfway across, a shiny black twoleg monster flashed by, blocking Oakpaw’s view of the fox. After it passed, he saw the limp body of the fox on the Thunderpath. Then Heronpaw dashed into the clearing. He spotted Oakpaw, lying on the ground injured, and then turned towards Berrypaw. “No time to explain,” she said. “We need to get Oakpaw back to camp.” Oakpaw started to protest. “No, I can walk,” he insisted feebly. As he tried to get up, pain flashed through his neck and stomach, and his world went black. Oakpaw woke up to the face of Leafpaw looking at him concernedly. “Where are Heronpaw and Berrypaw?” he mumbled. “They’re at Sorrelpaw’s warrior ceremony,” Leafpaw replied. Sorrelpaw’s warrior ceremony. So he hadn’t been out for long. He looked around, and saw that he was in the medicine cat’s den. He saw herbs and cobwebs in storage spaces. He looked over to find Owlfeather in a moss bed similar to his. “How badly injured am I?” Oakpaw asked. “Not very badly. The blood loss is the worst part,” replied Leafpaw. “You will be able to return to your apprenticeship in a few days.” Oakpaw breathed a sigh of relief. “You were brave against that fox, I heard,” continued Leafpaw. “I bet you and your friends will be made warriors in less than two moons.” Oakpaw smiled. Leafpaw was nice. He accepted some poppy seeds, and drifted off to sleep. A few days later, Oakpaw stepped out into the sun. It was the third time he had been allowed out of the medicine cat’s den since he had been injured. It was also the last time, because he was free to continue with his apprentice duties. He walked across the clearing to where Sunfoot was waiting. “There you are,” he greeted. “Feeling well today?” Oakpaw nodded. “Good,” Sunfoot said. “Just to be safe, though, we’ll take it easy today with training.” Oakpaw was relieved at this news, as his legs were cramped and stiff from lying down for so long. They headed to the training hollow, where most of the apprentices were already training with their mentors. Shrewpaw and Heronpaw were sparring with their claws sheathed, and Squirrelpaw and Berrypaw were reviewing moves and tactics together. “You'll spar with Spiderpaw,” Sunfoot informed. Oakpaw agreed, and after he had warmed up and stretched, he faced Spiderpaw. They circled one another, each surveying his opponent, looking for weaknesses. Oakpaw, remembering what Sunfoot had taught him, tried to make it appear as if he was relying heavily on one paw to hold him up. When Spiderpaw swiped, Oakpaw was ready. He brought his front paws down on Spiderpaw’s head, crushing him to the ground. Spiderpaw attempted to roll out of the way, but Oakpaw was ready with another attack, slamming into Spiderpaw’s back, and throwing him off balance without even allowing Spiderpaw time to get up. Spiderpaw lashed out blindly and managed to knock Oakpaw down. Then Spiderpaw scrambled up and rammed into Oakpaw’s side, knocking him down again. When he tried this move again, Oakpaw swiped his paw, tripping Spiderpaw. He got to his feet to find Sunfoot and Mousefur urging the apprentices to stop. “Both of you did marvelously,” Mousefur praised them. Sunfoot nodded his head in agreement. After a few more rounds of sparring with Spiderpaw and other apprentices, the apprentices and their mentors went to the forest to practice hunting. Oakpaw caught two mice and a vole. The other apprentices had caught about as much as he did. The group headed back to the camp laden with fresh-kill. When they got back, they dropped their catches onto the fresh-kill pile, greatly increasing its volume. Firestar and Sandstorm watched proudly from in front of the leader’s den, no doubt proud of the strong young apprentices in the clan. There were seven apprentices, eight including Leafpaw, in the clan right now, the most ThunderClan had in awhile. Today Oakpaw was too tired to stay up and talk with Heronpaw and Berrypaw. He walked into the apprentice’s den and fell right asleep. 

 

 

To be continued...


End file.
